Rapper 21 Savage has been released from ICE custody on bond, with a deportation hearing pending.
According to TMZ, Charles H. Kuck, Dina LaPolt and Alex Spiro — Savage’s lawyers — revealed the news in a statement to the outlet.
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“21 Savage asked us to send a special message to his fans and supporters — he says that while he wasn’t present at the Grammy Awards, he was there in spirit and is grateful for the support from around the world and is more than ever, ready to be with his loved ones and continue making music that brings people together,” the statement read.
“He will not forget this ordeal or any of the other fathers, sons, family members, and faceless people, he was locked up with or that remain unjustly incarcerated across the country. And he asks for your hearts and minds to be with them,” the statement concluded.
BREAKING: Lawyers: Rapper 21 Savage has been released on bond from federal immigration custody. U.S. authorities have said the British citizen overstayed his visa and has a felony conviction. //t.co/mYfMPo44bR
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 12, 2019
On Feb. 3, Super Bowl Sunday, Savage was arrested by ICE, after they discovered that, per their records, he was in the country illegally after being born in the U.K. and staying past the expiration of his temporary visa.
Savage stated that he came to the U.S. as a toddler, but ICE argued that their information reflected that he was actually seven years old when he came. The rapper had applied for a new visa in recent years, but his requests were not reviewed, leading to his current situation.
Following a public outcry over Savage’s arrest, hip-hop icon Jay-Z joined the voices of support, and also hired a legal team to take on Savage’s case.
“The arrest and detention of 21 Savage is an absolute travesty,” Jay-Z wrote in a Facebook post about Savage’s arrest. “His U visa petition has been pending for 4 years. In addition to being a successful recording artist, 21 savage deserves to be reunited with his children immediately, #Free21Savage.”
Spiro eventually provided a statement on the case, telling TMZ, “We are not going to stop until he is released, bonded out or in front of a judge. What we have here is someone who overstayed their Visa with an application pending for 4 years — not a convicted criminal that needs to be detained and removed but, by all accounts a wonderful person, father, and entertainer who has a marijuana offense which was vacated and sealed.”
It is not clear why Savage was detained for such an extended period of time, but he will have an expedited hearing to get the matter resolved as quickly as possible.
